National Portrait Gallery Tour

Show all photos
3 hours (approximately)
Pickup offered
Offered in: German and 7 more

The gallery will be closed from mid-2020 to (planned) spring 2023 for a major refurbishment. During this time, parts of the collection will be displayed around the UK in a series of exhibitions and collaborations, with other international loan exhibitions.

This is a three-hour tour with an expert tour guide. Virtually hidden away behind the National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people for over four hundred years opening in 1856 where its first acquisition was possibly the oldest portrait of William Shakespeare. Find out more about the people who shaped Britain: meet Henry VIII and discover the fate of each of his six wives and Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell, who won and lost power under him. We then visit the court of Queen Elizabeth I, and her favourite men Raleigh and Drake who plundered the Spanish and created England's first colonies.

What's Included

- Hand sanitizers and masks will be available in our vehicles for the best hygiene practice.

Meeting and pickup

Pickup points
You can choose a pickup location at checkout (multiple pickup locations are available).
Pickup details:

- Hand sanitizers and masks will be available in our vehicles for the best hygiene practice. - Airport and cruise port pickups and transfers are also available at extra charge. Please contact us for further information. - Please be ready and waiting in your hotel lobby 15 minutes prior to your scheduled pickup time and let the lobby staff know that you are waiting for a tour guide. - Comfortable shoes are advised - Wheelchair users must inform our agent whether guest(s) is/are fully dependent on the chair or partly able to walk or move. - Guests must contact Tourope UK at least 24 hours before your product date to confirm your reservation and arrange transportation. Please use the contact details on your confirmation/voucher. If you do not require hotel pickup, you can meet the tour guide at Parliament Square. (The nearest tube station is Westminster). Check-in is 30 minutes prior to the booked tour start time, please look out the Statue of Sir Winston Churchill in front of the Houses of Parliament. Please Note: In case of any daily event or closure in Parliament Square, alternatively, please proceed to The London Eye by crossing the Westminster Bridge. Your tour guide will be waiting for you in front of the main exit gate of the London Eye.

OR
Meeting point

The museum is very well located in the centre of London, near Trafalgar Square. The closest tube stations are Charing Cross by Northern Line (Black) 3 minutes walk and Leicester Square by Northern (Black) and Piccadilly (Dark blue) Lines 3 minutes walk. Many bus routes pass through Trafalgar Square.

End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Duration: 3 hours (approximately)
  • 1
    National Portrait Gallery

    Important Announcement: The gallery will be closed from mid-2020 to (planned) spring 2023 for a major refurbishment. During this time, parts of the collection will be displayed around the UK in a series of exhibitions and collaborations, with other international loan exhibitions. The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is a London Art Gallery with a collection of portraits of current and historically significant British people. It became the world's first portrait gallery in 1856. National Portrait Gallery has some significant paintings such as The Chandos portrait of William Shakespeare, the first painting to enter the NPG's collection for instance. Not all of the portraits are exceptional artistically, although there are self-portraits by William Hogarth, Sir Joshua Reynolds and other British artists of note. Some, such as the group portrait of the participants in the Somerset House Conference of 1604, are important historical documents in their own right. Often, the curiosity value is greater than the artistic worth of work, as in the case of the anamorphic portrait of Henry VIII’s only son Edward VI by William Scrots, Patrick Branwell Brontë's painting of his sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne, or a sculpture of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in medieval costume. Portraits of living figures were allowed from 1969. In addition to its permanent galleries of historical portraits, the National Portrait Gallery exhibits a rapidly changing selection of contemporary work, stages exhibitions of portrait art by individual artists and hosts the annual BP Portrait Prize competition.

    3 hours • Admission ticket free

Additional info

  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Supplied by Tourope UK

Show 2 more

Tags

Half-day Tours
Bus Tours
Private Sightseeing Tours
Historical Tours
Art Tours
Walking Tours
City Tours
Public Transportation Tours
Car Tours
Short term availability

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Show more

from per group (up to 15)
Was {{currencySymbol}}{{ summaryFromPriceBeforeDiscount }}
Check availability